Amnesia Trap (GL) - Chapter 57

Ji Qingfan provided the perfect out at just the right moment.

Sheng Zhi only had to step down the path laid out for her. She didn’t have to struggle with how to answer, worry about the emotions hidden behind her response, or feel put on the spot anymore. She simply stepped onto the platform Ji Qingfan offered and descended smoothly.

But…

Sheng Zhi’s fingertips curled slightly.

Her reaction just now had actually been quite obvious. If Ji Qingfan had insisted on an answer, Sheng Zhi probably wouldn’t have been able to offer a truly firm refusal in the end.

Yet Ji Qingfan hadn’t done that.

Not only did she not demand a definitive answer, but she was also incredibly considerate, laying out a graceful exit for her. Sheng Zhi couldn’t see through Ji Qingfan’s thoughts; it was like looking at flowers through a fog.

Their gazes met.

Ji Qingfan’s eyes were always filled with a smile, and after hearing the answer, those sparks of mirth grew significantly. She reached out, her fingertips brushing against Sheng Zhi’s before she finally grasped her hand.

“Jiao Jiao, can you close your eyes? I have something I want to give you.”

“…?”

Hearing this, Sheng Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered, and an instinctive thought popped into her head.

Close my eyes?

Is she going to kiss me again?

Why so many tricks? If she wanted to kiss her, she could just do it.

Even though she believed she had guessed Ji Qingfan’s next move, she still closed her eyes. “Whatever it is, hurry up. I’ll be getting off the car soon.”

The hand holding hers was withdrawn. Because her eyes were closed, her other senses became heightened. She heard the subtle rustle of Ji Qingfan’s movements.

Gradually, Ji Qingfan drew closer, her breath brushing against Sheng Zhi’s ear like a feather. Sheng Zhi’s own breathing grew shallow, almost syncing with her rhythm. She felt a touch on her ear, and her earlobe was grazed by that same breath.

Every second seemed to stretch out. She waited for the move, the passive anticipation creating a sense of torment.

Not done yet?

Why is she so slow?

Her wing-like lashes trembled—a precursor to her losing patience and opening her eyes.

Right then, she heard Ji Qingfan’s voice by her ear: “Alright, Jiao Jiao, you can open your eyes now.”

That was… it?

Sheng Zhi opened her eyes, feeling a dazed, indescribable sense of disappointment. This development was a bit different from what she had imagined.

No, it was completely different.

Ji Qingfan hadn’t withdrawn her hand; she was stroking Sheng Zhi’s earlobe again. “A very beautiful earring.”

The words melted into the air.

An inexplicable emotion crept into Sheng Zhi’s heart.

…What was the point of using such a heart-fluttering, mysterious tone just to put an earring on her? Was that reasonable? And because the touch was so light, she hadn’t even felt the earring being put in; the sensation of Ji Qingfan stroking her earlobe was far more vivid.

She looked at Ji Qingfan’s face and instinctively reached out to touch her back. She didn’t hit the earring; instead, she touched Ji Qingfan’s soft fingertips and pulled back as a reflex.

“If you don’t like this earring, it’s fine to take it off and throw it away,” Ji Qingfan didn’t touch her ear again, but her hand lingered, stroking Sheng Zhi’s hair. “But I hope Jiao Jiao likes it.”

The car slowly came to a stop. The driver timely reminded them that they had arrived.

Her heart was beating a bit fast. Sheng Zhi shifted her gaze away from Ji Qingfan’s face, not answering the question of whether she liked it or not. “…I’m heading out now.”

Ji Qingfan hummed in agreement, her lingering, affectionate gaze still fixed on her. She said once more: “Come home early tonight. I’ll be waiting for you.”

After stepping out of the car, Sheng Zhi touched the earring, imagining there was still a trace of warmth left on it.

Inside the car.

Ji Qingfan took out a pre-prepared miniature device and clipped it to her ear. The sound of the wind, people, and breathing instantly flooded in. She listened with patient focus.

After a while, she finally heard Sheng Zhi’s voice—a sweet tone tinged with a slight confusion: “Where’s Xia Xiyan? Weren’t you two together?”

“Where’s Xia Xiyan? Weren’t you two together?”

Sheng Zhi looked at Jiang Wanyin sitting across from her and then scanned the rest of the private room. Confirming Xia Xiyan was nowhere to be found, she asked, “Is she in the restroom?”

Meeting her questioning gaze, Jiang Wanyin froze for a moment before looking away. “No, something came up for her at the last minute.”

“…That unreliable little brat,” Sheng Zhi grumbled. “She was so enthusiastic on the phone asking if I was really coming, and then she has ‘something’ come up. I’m definitely dealing with her next time.”

While her words were a scolding, her tone held no real anger.

A long silence followed.

Sheng Zhi finally noticed that Jiang Wanyin seemed off. Even though she was sitting right there, she looked completely distracted; she probably hadn’t even heard what Sheng Zhi just said.

She rarely saw Jiang Wanyin like this, and her heart tightened. Her first instinct was that something had happened. “What is it? Did something happen?”

Jiang Wanyin seemed to snap out of it. She paused, then repeated: “No, it’s nothing.”

Nothing?

Sheng Zhi grew more suspicious. She didn’t look like someone who was “fine.” And the phone call earlier too…

“You can’t hide it from me. I can tell the difference between something being fine and just acting like it is.”

As she said this, the surrounding air seemed to fall silent. Jiang Wanyin looked up, staring straight at her. When she spoke, it was something completely unrelated: “Zhi Zhi, I saw the interview. You and Ji Qingfan aren’t getting divorced.”

It wasn’t a question; it was a flat, absolute statement.

Sheng Zhi hadn’t expected to hear this. She froze. After a few stiff seconds, she mumbled, “Some things happened while we were in Nanrao.”

“Some things happened,” Jiang Wanyin repeated her words, suddenly letting out a laugh—a very bleak, hollow one. “Was it something that happened with your mouths, or your hands? Did Ji Qingfan seduce you into bed?”

The emotion soaked into her voice was sharp and aggressive. Sheng Zhi realized something was wrong; she frowned at the choice of words. “Don’t talk like that. Calm down first, let me explain…”

She wanted her to calm down, but her words and her defensive stance seemed to ignite the emotions Jiang Wanyin had been suppressing. “Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down? And how are you going to explain?”

“Zhi Zhi, have you forgotten what you told me before? You told me you wouldn’t fall for her, that you were faking amnesia to get a divorce, and that you were only doing all this to bully her…”

“But what are you doing now? Have you lost your mind? Or are you telling me that doing a public interview with Ji Qingfan to announce the divorce is off is your way of ‘bullying’ her?”

Every word she spat out was like a knife or a sword.

Listening to Jiang Wanyin, Sheng Zhi tried to speak several times but was given no opening by the other woman’s sudden, violent outburst. The emotions in those eyes were a churning mess; Sheng Zhi couldn’t keep up with the situation. She had no idea why she was being targeted with such intense fury, angrier than all the previous times combined.

After Jiang Wanyin finished her tirade, her gaze grew even darker.

Having not seen each other for so many days, Sheng Zhi didn’t want to fight. Besides, the things Jiang Wanyin was throwing in her face were indeed things she had said.

She was the one who said she wanted a divorce, and she was the one who did an interview denying it.

…Jiang Wanyin was probably just frustrated on her behalf, worried she was being played by Ji Qingfan. After all, their previous chats always showed her being very uneasy about the situation.

Sheng Zhi rationalized it this way and prepared to give her a proper explanation.

“Actually, I didn’t expect things to turn out like this at first, but a divorce really doesn’t offer any benefits right now. I know you’re worried about me…”

However, her explanation was cut short before she could finish.

“Don’t bother explaining like that,” Jiang Wanyin’s tone leveled out significantly. “Just tell me what you used to tell me. Tell me you hate Ji Qingfan. Tell me you find her annoying, that you can’t stand the sight of her, and that she’s a disgusting, repulsive existence to you.”

Sheng Zhi listened to her, her lips parting. She paused for a few seconds. “…There’s no need for that.”

“You can’t say it?” At this, Jiang Wanyin’s expression grew even uglier. She reached out and grabbed Sheng Zhi’s wrist. “Zhi Zhi, isn’t she the person you hate most? Why can’t you say it? …As I thought, you really have fallen for her. How can your love be so cheap?”

She seemed to be talking to her, but also to herself. “She must have bewitched you. She has so many tricks, what wouldn’t she do? Such a low, wretched person… I never should have let you bring her home back then…”

Her emotions had clearly reached a breaking point, and the grip on Sheng Zhi’s wrist grew tighter and tighter.

With a sharp slap, Sheng Zhi threw off Jiang Wanyin’s hand.

“Have you had enough?”

Hearing these increasingly piercing words, Sheng Zhi’s own temper flared.

“Regardless of what happens between me and Ji Qingfan, it is ultimately my business. You can be angry, you can blame me, but how is she ‘low and wretched’? Evaluating her like that makes you the one who’s being low.”

Jiang Wanyin looked at her hand that had been thrown aside, then listened to Sheng Zhi’s words while nearly trembling with disbelief. “Sheng Zhi, you’re protecting her? You’re scolding me because of her? She’s that important? You won’t even side with me anymore; you’re fighting me for her sake?”

“Who wanted to fight with you?” Sheng Zhi was naturally someone who responded to gentleness but resisted pressure, and her temper wasn’t exactly great. Being interrogated like this, her fire was truly lit. “This isn’t about whose side I’m on. Don’t you think you’re overstepping? We can talk things out reasonably, but have you said a single reasonable thing?”

The air felt stagnant as they faced off, neither yielding, the smell of gunpowder everywhere.

Jiang Wanyin took a deep breath, her eyes suddenly turning red. “I can’t talk reasonably!”

“Sheng Zhi, how do you see me? What am I to you?”

She was highly emotional, her words barely forming coherent sentences. Sheng Zhi looked at the tears rolling down from her eyes, and her newly lit anger died out instantly. They had been friends for so many years; seeing her cry truly made her heart ache.

“Don’t cry yet, I didn’t want to fight with you…” She reached for a tissue.

But Jiang Wanyin dodged her attempt to wipe the tears, stubbornly repeating the question:

“What am I to you?”

“…My best friend,” Sheng Zhi said awkwardly, clutching the tissue. She added another word: “Soulmate.”

Tears blurred her vision as Jiang Wanyin stared at her fixedly. “Yes. Soulmate. We promised to grow up together, to tell each other everything. The soulmate that spanned your entire youth.”

“So, if you absolutely had to choose between me and Ji Qingfan… Zhi Zhi, who would you choose?”